The Space Pirate Log Book
by Dr. Bross
Summary: Samus Aran isn't the only one who records her mission data on log books. The most notorious pirates of Super Metroid have a habit of recording things as well, and they all have something to say, whether it be about their own comrades or beginnings.
1. Entry 1: The Norfair Dragon, Ridley

--Some of you might have read this before, some of you are reading it for the very first time. But to address the first group, I have gone through and done many revisions and took off the story in it's singular form to make it part of this collection. So please, hopefully, you'll find it a good read again.  
  
-Super Metroid  
  
--The Space Pirate Log Book  
  
---Entry 1: The Norfair Dragon, Ridley  
  
Space is an abyss for every life form that has ever been bound to a planet. It is cold, lifeless, and mimics the face of death quite frequently. I hated space. My body felt much more at home in the fiery depths of Planet Zebes. More at home in the bows of Norfair where the extreme core temperatures would rejuvenate my body. After my flight through space, I craved that sensation once more... But it had to wait for now. If you are given an order by Mother Brain, you do not fail to carry it out. Or you would live to regret it.  
  
Humans call us pirates. Ha, do you hear that? Pirates. As if that one word did any justice to describe us at all. They may call us what they want, but if they only knew the true form of our leader Mother Brain, they would do much to pick a better word. After all, she had been critically wounded and left for dead. How very wrong it was for that human to leave so quickly after destroying most of our old base, and eradicating the organism known as the "Metroid".  
  
This organism is the life form that has brought me out here, into the depths of space, without a ship or any sort of force of mine. I was instructed by Mother Brain that without the use of a ship, it would be easy to infiltrate the Space Colony that kept the very last Metroid. It was the very last because the human I had mentioned before had moved on to their home planet to wipe them out. For some reason, she had not done the same to the last Metroid and here I was, to continue our work begun so long ago.  
  
It was a relief to spot the round station in the shadow of an asteroid. The faster I reached the colony, the faster I could escape the coldness of space which was opposite of Norfair in every way possible. I loathed it so much that I began to beat my wings faster, around the lazy asteroids and towards the center docking bay. Anyone would find it fitting, that the whole station looked like a bull's-eye. It was a target. When I located the Metroid, I could do what I wished with the round tin can.  
  
The doors to the station were hardly enough to keep me out. I didn't even have to make use of my fiery breath to pry them open, and the slip through to the docking bays. What made me angry, is that the station was almost as cold as space. I was irritated now, and I would spare no mercy for any humans I would come across. They would all soon die for resisting us like they did. Such stubborn creatures... who needed to be put in their place.  
  
I could already feel the artificial gravity taking hold of my body and landed with a thud on the metal floor. In this moment, I took note of my surroundings. A wide empty room with two areas to park ships of many sizes. There were none there at the moment which told me that some of the humans were out on a supply run, or simply kept themselves secluded and free of distractions. Now it would be their undoing, now none of them could escape me. What could they do? But simply trigger a pathetic alarm that would do nothing but call federation forces light-years away? By the time they arrived, this station would be floating debris.  
  
Then again, what did they care? As far as they were concerned, Mother Brain is dead.  
  
Footsteps caused me to dart into the many shadows and watch as a human mechanic entered. It seems this trip is full of disappointments. I wanted a human soldier, or some pathetic wretch who wanted to be a hero. Those were always the best humans to kill. I could scrape the incompetence off their bodies with my claw, even after I've killed them. This human was simply clueless, and I realized that he was checking the sudden opening of the door I had caused. Well, I couldn't let him spoil my element of surprise...  
  
The human mechanic then started toward the docking bay door. I think when he was mere feet from me, he realized that there was something else in the room. My breathing quickened as I outstretched my tail and gave a low screech to confirm his fears. The expression on his face almost justified the entire trip through space. It was the last emotion he ever had as I speared him with my tail and tossed him across the room. Yet another quality I hate about humans, so fragile, they hardly ever put up a fight worth remembering. Even the armed humans are nothing to look at.  
  
I gazed at the dead mechanic a bit more before moving on to an elevator shaft that would lead downwards to the laboratories. Mother Brain seemingly knew every move the Federation made, she knew the Metroid would be down there somewhere. It was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon it. Surely, the humans would be swarming around it, trying to take what information they could. They would not live long enough to make any use of their newfound knowledge. The Metroid was ours, and ours alone.  
  
When I reached the bottom, I must have shown up on the stations sensors, because the whole place began to flash with a red light. I found it calming, it reminded me of Norfair, and it is my personal experience that humans are not themselves when alarms of this kind go off. They let the panic consume them, until they are stark raving mad and wouldn't know top from bottom if their lives depended upon it. It never failed to make me wonder what they wanted to accomplish with such alarms. But what did it matter?  
  
The red lights stopped when I began to move through the labs. A pity, I had begun to enjoy the red light. Maybe they thought it was a false alarm? Humph, whatever they thought, it would not save them.  
  
I was getting closer as I found several empty containment tubes. There were many devices along the wall that kept the humans in this station alive. In another time and another place, I would not hesitate to destroy anything that would sustain their pathetic lives. But I had to keep it in one piece, at least until I found the Metroid. When I found that, I had the authorization to do what I pleased with the rest of the colony. That would be something worth remembering.  
  
I began to become enraged. What was this place? A maze? How did they make any use of a place so expansive? Just when I was about to lose my temper, I found it. The observation room. With the Metroid in the middle, and the panicking humans dancing around it, doing who knows what, where else could I be? I didn't know what they were doing, probably rushing to save their precious work. Work they somehow placed above their very lives. What fools...  
  
When the white clothed humans caught sight of me, the color drained from their face as if a Metroid had sucked them dry of their energy. Several began to cry out in fear and ran, while the slightly braver ones yelled out to each other.  
  
"There's no more time! Get the files and get out of here!"  
  
"Oh my god! Oh my god!" One chanted in disbelief.  
  
"Someone save the Metroid!" Another cried.  
  
The mere mention of it snapped my focus onto the glass cylinder in the center of the room, with wires and consoles hooked up to it. The little thing screeched once or twice before bobbing up and down eagerly. It could sense the panic running through the room. What a perceptive little organism. I wonder if it knew I came to recover it? Two of the humans ran to open it up, to try and remove it and runaway. With a leap and a swipe of a claw, I ripped through their bodies as if they were made of paper.  
  
"No! Hal!" One human cried from somewhere behind me.  
  
My tail made quick work of him as he didn't even move to save himself. If only so many humans were like him, to just accept their fate instead of struggling to futilely against it. But what am I saying? Where would my entertainment come from? Like one of the scientists who grabbed some sort of fire extinguisher and tried to use it as a weapon. The extinguisher exploded as I tore through it, and the human who wielded it. I roared at the top of my lungs as the floor of the room became covered with cold white mist. It was an unpleasant feeling.  
  
Now that that was over, I grabbed the Metroid with my back right talon and began to move toward the doorway where so many humans had ran through. Oh yes, a chase now. None of them would be alive too much longer, but every once and awhile I felt cruel enough to give them a tiny bit of hope. This was one of those moments. I gave them a little head start by checking over the Metroid container to see if it kept the little creature fully contained.  
  
Then I started after them. To my surprise, the path they took lead to a dead end, a cargo room. But what else should I expect from the likes of humans?  
  
They began to hide among the crates, hoping there would come a moment when they could sneak by me and escape for good. What an interesting fantasy that was. Any human that tried to make a break for the room's only entrance and exit was torched beyond recognition. I spread by fiery breath across the room, melting crates and any human that hid behind it. With all the smoke I created, I expected the automatic sprinklers to go off. Whenever I would roar, they would whimper in response, smothered by their fear of me.  
  
I would not give them the curtsey of talking in their filthy dialect. They would not have the pleasure of knowing what I planned to do with them. Besides, to talk in their language would be like tainting my own body with their foulness. If I did that, I would have to let Crocomire use my tongue as his toothpick. No, I merely slashed, impaled, and torched every human I came across. It's quite addictive, I don't know when I stopped. I only remember that every one of them was dead and it was time to leave the station.  
  
But when turning to leave, the door opened to reveal yet another human. This one was very different from the others I had killed. This human I simply knew as Samus Aran, the cancer of our very existence. She was a bounty hunter, and her actions had demonstrated a long time ago, that she would not stop until we were wiped from the face of the universe. I must admit, I admired her persistence and the challenge she presented. This was the only human that ever put up a fight worth remembering.  
  
Through that green visor, she began to scan the area. The visor that belonged to a suit humans were incapable of creating. That suit provided her with incredible agility and flexibility. It also provided her with many weapons I was all too familiar with. This time, I would not give her the chance of using them. But my mind could not help but wonder, what brought her here? Ah, the alarms. They shut off because she was responding to the emergency beacon. She came back to save whoever she could.  
  
As usual, the bounty hunter was too late.  
  
I retreated into the shadows and perched on the Metroid container. I was fairly surprised it supported me, but quickly focused on Samus who was checking the room. It was merely about patience now. Then she spotted the container as the Metroid screeched out repeatedly. Her fixation made it impossible for her to recognize my yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Instead she moved closer to the Metroid container. Closer, and closer, and closer...  
  
Then I had my moment. I burst from the shadows with claws outstretched. I was going to tear her into two. But whatever instincts she had caused her to roll away at the last second. Anyone who was still alive could hear my claw scrape against her metal suit. When looking down at my claw, I could see a fleck of red paint. I was so close... The bounty hunter wasted no more time and fired back. The first blast to hit me only shot my confidence to immeasurable heights. Her arm cannon had become weak since last time we met. Either that, or I had become that much stronger.  
  
"Ridley? You bastard!"  
  
Her surprise was understandable. What she failed to realize, that if you cannot kill Mother Brain, then you cannot kill me. No matter what damage or wound you think you accomplish, it is nothing as long as Mother Brain lives.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" She continued to yell in anger.  
  
I shot my tail forward and knocked her across the room. She hit the wall with a loud clatter, but landed on her feet and continued to fire those weak shots at me. They made their mark, but were too pathetic to stop me. I roared to make it known her cause was a losing one. My wings took me into the air and I quickly dove, ready to tear her suit to pieces. But I had temporarily forgotten the Metroid in my talons. I froze and hovered over her, hesitating.  
  
"The Metroid? But why..." She paused, piecing thing together. "Mother brain can't be..."  
  
It was slightly reassuring to find she hadn't fallen so far as to be incompetent in-between our meetings. But it was then I regained my senses and breathed a firestorm on her position. She stumbled back covering her visor due to the immense light created from the flames and fell down. This move was not completely without grace, as she quickly fired more weak blaster shots at me. I tore at her with my claws, sending her rolling into another wall.  
  
Her suit was losing it's durability, and she was beginning to tire. Sparks shot from the joints around her elbows and her movement became sluggish. It was time to say goodbye to my rival, a bittersweet victory. I drew back both of my arms to crush her in one swoop. Even with her blaster pointed directly at my head, I knew it wouldn't be enough to save her. But then everything was ruined. The red flashing lights returned with a computerized voice that made both of us look into the air.  
  
"Warning! Self-destruct sequence initiated. Evacuate Colony immediately."  
  
I roared out in pure anger. Again and again. No! This can't be happening! My chances of revenge ruined! I began to think, how could this have happened? Who was left alive to trigger such an action? Perhaps a scientist was not as dead as I made them out to be, and activated it seeing Samus was too late. I stared at her as she stared at me. I couldn't be caught in this station when it exploded, no matter how badly I wanted her dead.  
  
As far as Mother Brain was concerned, the Metroid was more important than my very life.  
  
Samus made a weak attempt to stop me as I spread my wings and darted through the doorway, back the way I came. In the observation room, I could see a blood trail snake across the room to a computer panel, where bloody fingertips and handprints were easily visible. Damn humans! I should have eaten them all! But now was no time to be blinded by rage. The station was coming apart at the seams, and there was no telling when it would explode and take everything inside with it. The little Metroid began to squeak repeatedly as if missing the company of the bounty hunter.  
  
Once I had gone back through the labs, I scrambled up the elevator shaft as hot steam burst from pipes. The burning sensation was relaxing, I couldn't wait to return to Planet Zebes and Norfair. When I reached the docking bay, I darted past Samus's ship and spat flames over the docking bay door to open it. Explosions ran along the edges of the station, it wouldn't be long now. If I wanted to make it out with my tail in one piece, I had to get as far away as possible. As for Samus... hopefully, her suit was damaged enough to make it impossible for her to escape.  
  
Then it came.   
  
The light was tremendous even after I cleared the asteroid field. The blast sent countless debris and whatever asteroid was not strong enough to resist it, flying away from the colony. I did not see the bounty hunters ship and for what I could do, I spread my face into a smile. The flight back was longer than the one to the station, maybe Samus's blaster had done more to me than I felt. But soon I could see the welcoming Planet Zebes surface and made more of an effort to arrive there quickly. The re-entry felt good to my body as the heat flared up, and the Metroid container I found could withstand that as well. This would be a cylinder not easily cracked, but Mother Brain would think of something and I could finally return to Norfair to recover and await my next orders...  
  
-End of Line  
  
--Closing Ridley Log  
  
---Next Entry: Kraid 


	2. Entry 2: The Brinstar Juggernaut, Kraid

-Super Metroid  
  
--The Space Pirate Log Book  
  
---Entry 2: The Brinstar Juggernaut, Kraid  
  
Worthless. That's what they are. Worthless. Half of our forces are utter morons. It's a wonder how we get anything done around here. It's true, they do make a frightening picture for the Galactic Federation. But if they spent just a moment to evaluate our forces, they'd find we have maybe 100 noteworthy soldiers. The rest are just cannon fodder for Samus or whoever else wants to come in blasting away like energy weapons are going out of style.  
  
I, Kraid, need an army worthy of my command. I used to control the entire ground force for Zebes. But after that bounty hunter ransacked our base and blew half of it up, things have changed. Along with nearly losing my third eye to that damned human, I've lost my prestige as well. Mother Brain doesn't have the same faith in me that she's held before, now there are a lot of new faces in Zebes. And all of them are worthless. Completely worthless.  
  
Phantoon, the spirit in control of the wrecked ship on the surface is as trustworthy as he is alive. Crocomire is an incompetent lazy slob, who's only purpose is be pushed around by Ridley. I don't know what he does, other than roam around the planet eating whatever isn't bolted down or classified important by Mother Brain. And don't even get me started on Draygon, that oversized crayfish with nearly 100 children running around Maridia. What does our fortress look like? A daycare?  
  
And Ridley! That winged fire breathing blowhard! I could do his job! He knows it, and Mother Brain would too if he didn't bring back the Metroid. Now she's all shut up in Tourian, experimenting on those energy sucking things. I suppose if they are useful, then it is time well spent, but I can't help feeling that Mother Brain is developing an unhealthy obsession with them. Almost the way Ridley is obsessed with Samus, Hah, she'll be the death of him if he doesn't get a hold of himself. She'll be the death of all of us if we don't get our acts together around here.  
  
I seem to be the only one prepared. But I've been reduced to commanding a single section of Zebes. Not the whole planet, just Brinstar. I'm better than this. If it weren't for that human... the reorganization of our forces would have never happened. It's her fault... yes... it's her fault! She'll pay one of these days. I've grown a great deal since last we met. Humph, since last we met... I remember it quite well. The way she sauntered into my lair as if she owned the whole planet...  
  
It was before all those new recruits, the first time the hunter made her appearance. I had just led a striking victory against an invasion force. And invasion force sent by the Federation. They wanted to get back the collection of Metroids we had hijacked. Hah hah ha, it was a slaughter. They deserved what they got, and the survivors were either executed or sent to feed the Metroids they were after. I watched one or two soldiers get the life sucked out of them until they turned to dust. It was quite a show. I personally couldn't wait until they tried again.  
  
But they didn't try again.  
  
Instead they sent a bounty hunter. One that we've had history with before, but only when she was a child. From what I heard, Ridley started this whole mess. He led the forces that created this disaster. If Ridley had just been a bit more thorough we could have avoided this nightmare. Without parents, or family for that matter, she was adopted by the Chozo and given that damned suit every pirate knew by heart. The charging drone of her blaster, and the missile attacks. No one could mistake it.   
  
Samus Aran could practically defeat half my forces on fear alone. I couldn't believe it. My men were slowly reporting to me one by one, with their tails in-between their legs. Going on about a Chozo devil in the caverns, blasting everything in sight. Those who didn't apologize for such nonsense I crushed with my bare hands, and those who did I ordered to confront this Samus Aran again.  
  
"But sir!" One pathetic slime would whine to me. "We can't kill her! She's too fast! Too strong! Too-"  
  
One of my angry roars would set them straight and silence their quivering mouths.  
  
"Grow a spine and get a hold of yourself!" I barked. "You will end this now! Do you understand? Deal with the intruder! If you're wounded, don't come back here looking for pity! It's only one human!"  
  
They would crawl away or limp out of my lair and I would continue to send more reliable troops after her, to compound what misery she should have been feeling. No one walks into Zebes and expects to leave in one piece. The Galactic Federation forces learned that much already. Of course, they've always been worthless worms in the first place. Now this bounty hunter was something of a different story. She was worth ten of them.  
  
My usual tactics began to fail, sooner or later, there was no one reporting back to me. It was as if the entire area of my lair had been evacuated. Then Ridley showed up, his crooked toothy snarl in all. His body cast an eerie red glow, probably due to his position situated near Norfair. There was an unusual smirk across his face. For anyone else, it would appear as if he was his usual self. But I could tell otherwise, we were on the same side after all.  
  
"What are you doing here Ridley?" I demanded, usually he's never out of his position unless...  
  
"We've pulled your forces out of the area. Mother Brain wants you to deal with this bounty hunter personally. She's killed far too many troops."  
  
So that was why. All this time I thought cowardice had caught up with my men.  
  
"Personally?" I repeated to verify his words.  
  
"Personally." He said again with his dark sardonic expression. "She says this has gone too far, no more playing with the hunter. Just... dispose of her quickly."  
  
That did not explain the grin on his face though. If I didn't know better, I'd say he enjoyed the presence of the hunter.  
  
"What do you think of this Ridley? I can tell by the way you roll your eyes there is something on your mind."  
  
"Good bye Kraid." He told me. "You're just an overbearing glutton. What use you've served no longer applies in this situation. The hunter will kill you."  
  
Exchanges of this nature were nothing new. It was common practice to rile each other up before a major battle. There was no better motivation than adrenaline and anger.  
  
"You enjoy the challenge don't you Ridley?" I fired back. "It's a shame you'll never be able to fight the bounty hunter. She'll be unrecognizable when I'm done with her."  
  
"We'll see what kind of challenge the hunter is... Won't we?"  
  
He left after that and I simply waited in the darkness for our thorn in the side to appear. She was as good as dead, I would make sure of it. The waiting was as painful as a plasma blast in my mind. The hunter took her sweet time getting to my lair. How did I know she was going to come? The entrance to the Tourian area is protected by a rather ingenious lock. As long as Ridley and I are alive, no one will ever enter and Mother Brain will stay protected.  
  
When the hunter did make her entrance, she was wondering slowly into the lair with her arm cannon readied to fire. What a squatty little creature she was. I had forgotten how puny humans were. It's quite pathetic in my mind. I could have stepped on her and never been the wiser. This should be a short encounter. But as I emerged from the darkness and prepared to crush her with my foot, she rolled out of the way in the form of a small ball. Oh yes, the suit, I had almost forgotten.  
  
But what did it matter? I roared angrily and swung my claw along the floor of the cave to cut her to ribbons. I nearly stumbled back upon seeing her jump to the height of my stomach and easily avoided my arm. Then it was her turn, and she fired at me. I went to block the shot with my hand and cried out in agony as an explosion engulfed it. Missiles! The little wretch was armed with some sort of missile system! Humph... it would take more than a barrage of missiles to stop me.  
  
I decided I would impale her up against the wall and launched my stomach spines. Her movement was staggering as she used my attack like some sort of steps and onto a ledge where we were eye to eye. I immediately began to spray the wall with my claw projectiles, but she ran and avoided them all. This is unfathomable! This measly little human with so much power! I was going to crush her and punched the walls of the lair with my fists. The room would shake, but the hunter would dive or duck gracefully out of the way.  
  
She fired more missiles and struck me in the forehead. My hands shot up to shield my aching third eye. How clever of her... Of all the places to fire, she decided to go for the head. But it would not stop there. In my cries of pain, I could soon taste the smoke and fire of an explosion within my mouth. The taste was awful, I began to spit in agony and turned away from her position on the ledge. She had shot me in my gaping mouth. It seems there was no end to her ingenuity.  
  
Soon I tasted nothing, as the searing flames from the missile attack had deadened all the nerves in my mouth. I remember tearing away at the walls wildly, hungry for revenge. I struck so viciously that I broke a couple of my razor sharp nails. This action of mine was shaking loose all kinds of rocks and debris. But I did not hear the satisfying crunch of the hunter's armor shattered by my weight. I regained my vision only to stare down her arm cannon that was pointed directly at my mouth again.  
  
"Filthy little human-" I roared as she fired again.  
  
The next missile to enter my mouth was unlike her previous attacks. My whole body shook from the strike, and I could sense the explosion was many times larger than the others. And I thought I was in pain before... Hah hah, that pales in comparison to this new missile. Whatever it was... it made me feel lightheaded. The cave began to flash in and out and I tried to keep myself standing by holding the walls. I thought I would feel another attack at any moment. But I did not.  
  
The hunter was simply standing there, arm cannon at her side, just watching me. What was she waiting for? My head felt like it had split in two and when I went to suppress the pain with my palm... I soon realized there was very little left of my mouth or head. I fell to the ground, withering in pain. How did I stay concious so long after her last attack? I would not survive this fight... All I could think was where she could have gotten this power...  
  
I thought it was the end. That my service with Mother Brain had come to an end. But I was wrong. What I thought was eternal sleep was merely a nap. I awoke in Zebes again, unaware of how much time had passed. Somehow I could tell it had been a long time. The lead scientist in charge of my resurrection had told me how this came to be. They scraped me off the floor of the lair and began my resuscitation. All I knew is that I had a second chance at the hunter, and now I knew her tactics. And here I am now  
  
Ridley had also been unfortunate enough to be beaten as well. But the hunter left quite a mark on him. He's not the same from before. However in our absence before we had been revived, Mother Brain had filled the holes with these new faces I spoke of before. But all of them combined could never measure up to me. Even Ridley has become intolerable with his new obsession for the bounty hunter. Damn them all, and damn that hunter.  
  
Here I am now, reduced from my position as commander of the Zebes forces to a mere guardian of Brinstar. Well, they can go on all they want about their new positions and their abilities and how they think they earned it. But when the hunter comes back to finish the job, they will soon learn what it means to fight for their very lives. Until then, I will simply bide my time. She will come back, either that or we'll run into her again, it is only a matter of time. Hah hah. I will get my revenge. Just you wait...  
  
-End of Line  
  
--Closing Kraid Log  
  
---Next Entry: Crocomire 


	3. Entry 3: The Norfair Janitor, Crocomire

-Super Metroid  
  
--The Space Pirate Log Book  
  
---Entry 3: The Norfiar Janitor, Crocomire  
  
Ridley gets off the mother ship at Zebes and roasts ten guys because they weren't doing their patrol routines. He wasn't supposed to off so many guys at once and needs a good cover story. I show up five minutes later, devour the evidence and make quick with the brainstorming. Now it wasn't Ridley's reckless rage anymore, it was simply ten pirates who hung around far too long in the superheated sections of Norfair. It's their fault, not his and the world keeps turning.  
  
I'm known as Crocomire. This is my job. I'm the one-man designated Zebian planetary clean up crew. Ok, so I'm not a man, but you get the point. I clean up accidents, and they're big ones if it concerns Ridley or any other higher ups. Mother Brain tries to run a tight ship you know? Or is it tight planet? Oh well. She's tough on the mass execution of fellow pirates. But when I show up, all she hears are tales of incompetence and carelessness. Now she doesn't even miss the pirates that were roasted, toasted, and burnt to a crisp. So much for that big speech on the efficient use of troops.  
  
I'm not here to tell the truth, I'm here to clean up the messes.  
  
When I move to clean up a failed biological test subject from the labs and hear two scientists arguing what gender Mother Brain is, I don't tell them they're both morons who shouldn't be within ten feet of such delicate equipment. I just pick up the parts and digest the excess. I move on, and I do it all the time. If I was given a time for every credit that happened... uh... or however that human saying goes. I haven't heard it many times, but I'm positive it applies to me.  
  
So when Ygert, part of the Metroid wranglers, accidentally lets two free and they go on an energy sucking spree... he now owes me one. And I mean he really owes me. Eating five piles of ash really makes it hard to swallow after awhile. I have to take a detour to Maridia and gulp down a couple gallons of water to clean out all that crap, and it doesn't help that Draygon is already overly touchy about her water. But it hasn't been the worse thing I've been asked to dispose of via my bottomless stomach.  
  
Why's that you wonder? Mostly because my stomachs are vats of acid. I can digest anything and everything if I can slide it down my throat. You could say I wasn't always this smart. When I was young and not recruited by Mother Brain, I drank from the pool of acid in my lair one too many times. I thought it was just hot, so I kept at it for years. Until Mother Brain needed someone to assist Ridley in Norfair and let me in on the chemical... uh... chemical compost of the orange lake in my home.  
  
But if you want to look for the cruelest of the cruel when it comes to the other guys. That'd be Ridley easy. He's got this thing against me... what-do-you-call-it? A fudge or whatnot? Something like that. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that he hates me, probably because a lot of the other pirates associate me with him. Maybe he thinks I somehow reflect him? Plus he's always been really angry about my body size. Hey, you eat things for a living, and you'll grow a bit of a stomach too.  
  
Ridley always seems to have a stalagmite up his ass about something when he's around me. Like this one time, when he fried one of Mother Brain's experimental plants he called me in to get rid of it before he was found out. That plant must have been a hundred feet long and five feet thick. I felt like I was slurping up an oversized piece of spaghetti. And when I did get it all the way down, one of the pirates informed me Ridley was supposed to fry the plant since they had made the experiment successful on another site.  
  
That dog demmad Ridley, he's such a piece of tihs. Or uh... however that goes. Been awhile since I heard someone talk like that around here. All I know is that it isn't positive, so it must be good for describing someone you don't like. I think it's a human thing. Ridley's always shoving me around, like I'm his assistant or something. Just cause I happen to live in Norfair too, that doesn't make him superior over me cause he has wings and is Mother Brain's favorite underling. Or is he in charge?  
  
Or at least it shouldn't be like that. I do know that officially, I'm his subordinate as far as rank goes. Cause I live in Norfair... that isn't fair. It's always a big deal when someone from the surface calls me up, so I can get as far away from that winged... winged... uh... that winged thing as I possibly can. Course, knowing my luck, it can't be too good if Phantoon is involved. He's freaky. Mostly because he isn't even alive. We didn't even know he was there for the longest time cause he was so elusive.  
  
That ship of his is spooky too. You think the caverns of Norfair is bad during a seismic shock. You haven't seen anything until you've been inside the Wrecked Ship. The thing doesn't even operate for anyone unless Phantoon sees to it. I heard he's always going on about his "old body" whatever that means. So, the last time I went up there he had a special request.  
  
"You want me to eat what?" I stuttered.  
  
We were in the engine rooms when I finally found him. His body wasn't even solid, it was just this transparent mass. It reminded me of a busted monitor in the laboratories where it's all flashy and impossible to get a clear picture in.  
  
"You heard me." Phantoon whispered in his spooky voice. "You are the living garbage disposal are you not? Ridley told me you could be of service."  
  
One day, I'm gonna eat Ridley's tail when he's sleeping. I wouldn't live to see tomorrow, but the expression on his face would be cheap... uh... I mean priceful- priceless- timeful- or however that saying goes.  
  
"So, don't stand there. Go to work. My old body is getting contaminated." Phantoon told me again.  
  
He was making reference to this moldy glowing green thing in the corner of the engine room closest to the soggy mess that was Maridia. It looked radioactive, and I forgot what happened last time I swallowed something that was radioactive. I can't remember if I had to report to the labs for surgery... or maybe that was when I swallowed the active plasma bomb... Hm... I don't remember to well.  
  
"That doesn't look very digestible. Maybe you should get a cleanup crew from Tourian."  
  
"Ridley would love to hear that you're not cooperating." Phantoon laughed. "You might get sent to the Phazon mines when he's through with you."  
  
"Pha-za-whats-it?" I said to myself.  
  
"Trust me." He cackled. "You want to do this job. But of course, it's just as well watching the scales fall off of your body due to-"  
  
I had to stop him there. Phantoon had a habit of ranting on about gruesome stuff for some reason. The last pirate who stuck around for his lecture didn't eat for weeks. He said the visualizations were too fresh in his memory. He said it was the most horrible thing he's ever heard before. Like Phantoon had gone to hell and sent back a postcard. If that happened to me and I lost my appetite, then I wouldn't be worth keeping around anymore. Eating leftovers is my life.  
  
"Fine." I growled. "I'll eat the throbbing glowing mass of... whatever it is."  
  
"Delicious." Phantoon chuckled. "Bon appetite."  
  
I hoped this wouldn't be as bad as it looked, as I picked it up and prepared to drop it down my throat. Phantoon warped out of the area as soon as I swallowed it.  
  
I should have never put that thing in my mouth.  
  
For the next six hours I was hallucinating chickens all over the planet... whatever the hell those things are. I think Phantoon mentioned something about how they were like Chozos, only a whole lot smaller and only found on earth. All I knew is that stuff I had just eaten, wasn't your normal biological waste. It was something Phantoon coughed up when the planets in a far away galaxy aligned or something. Turns out he's sensitive to spiritual stuff like that.  
  
He is one seriously screwed up collection of ectoplasm.  
  
It's hard to say if Phantoon is better or worse than Ridley on a bad day. All I know is that I'm guaranteed a throbbing headache when Ridley is done with me. There's not much I can do back to him, since he's my superior. But even without looking at that. The guy has wings and a long sharp tail... and he's got those claws! Geez... I've seen his work first hand whenever some pirate tries to badmouth him. There's not much left except slivers of whoever was putting up the argument. So, I usually feel fortunate when I come out with all my limbs attached.  
  
Course what could he do to me when I'm the guy who cleans up all the messes around here?  
  
I'm never afraid of mouthing off, because there is a seemingly endless supply of morons who try and infiltrate our fortress. All my aggression is saved for those guys trying take our technology or preserve some ancient Chozo piece of junk. We own Zebes now, and everyone else is just a walking appetizer. Especially those adventurer types who try and claim they don't want trouble. That they're only there for the artifacts. For some reason, they always taste sour.  
  
Mmmmm... Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I have to say the humans are the best tasting organism I've ever chewed on. Where as our dead pirates are all crunchy and dry, humans have this creamy red center. What did Kraid say it was? Blood or whatnot? He's always complaining about the mess humans make when he steps on them in Brinstar. Says it gets all over his scaly hide. So, I take mine in one gulp.  
  
But lately I've heard of this one human that's got everyone else in an uproar about. I think her name was Samus... Aplan? No... it was... uh... Argan? Aran? Man? Ah, forget it. I don't need to know human names anyway, they're so long and complicated. Apparently she's a bounty hunter, and a tough one at that. I heard she was the one responsible for messing up Zebes the first time. She's the reason why I got recruited to dispose of contaminates in the base.  
  
I wonder what this Samus thing tastes like? Hm, probably like all the other humans except there's a big metal suit protecting her. Guess it's like those rations I see near the surface. You gotta open up the can before getting the good stuff on the inside. I tried to ask Ridley about her one day, and he told me to "shut your slimy mouth and get back to your position". He was real touchy about this Samus human. I bet he's still probably mad he lost to her the first time they fought.  
  
Well, if she's anything like those Galactic Federation humans, she'll just be a glorified side dish. Heh, Ridley won't know a thing. He's always running errands for Mother Brain, and I'm always crawling all over the planet. So I'll find her first, and then I'll have my meal.  
  
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I heard someone ask me.  
  
I looked up from the tiny computer screen, where I was looking over my entry in the log book. Ridley was craning his neck up and around my shoulder. He could see the screen perfectly. Ah... uh oh. His eyes widened when he got down to the part about Samus... uh... the part about the Samus human. Uh... Phantoon mentioned some phrase like "oh cap." for situations like these... or was it crap?  
  
"Pathetic." Ridley scoffed.  
  
He began to laugh his evil smooth laughs. The kind you'd associate with someone as crazy as Phantoon. Then he reached down with one of his sharp claws and gave the "delete" key a smooth click. My entry had been erased.  
  
"Make better use of your off time filing reports, instead of your fantasies." He snorted in my face. "Our loyal janitor."  
  
Ridley took off as I stared at the blank screen. All my work was gone. What could I do? Other than start over again. Let's see... oh... I forgot where I began...  
  
"Ridley... is... a... lousy... little... weak... two... legged... Chozo." I muttered while starting over.  
  
I'm in Crateria. Then Tourian. Maridia. Wrecked Ship. Brinstar. Upper Norfair. Lower Norfair. Ridley's Lair. Kraid's Lair. This is my life, and it's taken one meal at a time. It doesn't matter how much crap I get from everyone else. As long as Mother Brain exists, there will be plenty of humans to eat. Yum yum. And it makes my mouth water just thinking about it...  
  
-Log Entry Timed Out  
  
--Closing Crocomire Log  
  
---Next Entry: Phantoon 


	4. Entry 4: The Wrecked Ship's Torment, Pha...

Author's Notes n' Such:  
  
Arkan- Well, I don't grasp Crocomire as a very intellegent Space Pirate, that's why I made it a bit humorous. Plus, I don't see every one of them as dedicated as say... Ridley or Kraid.  
  
Specter Von Baren- Don't worry, I'm well versed on the progression of the games. I learned that the hard way a long time ago. I will also admit that some Mini-bosses are easier to write for than others.  
  
GriffonSpade- Yeah, that's pretty much the order I was told. But unless I've misunderstood... Zero Mission is just a revamped version of the original Metroid.  
  
-Super Metroid  
  
--The Space Pirate Log Book  
  
---Entry 4: The Wrecked Ship's Torment, Phantoon  
  
What a quaint little concept... Recording one's tribulations for others to see. I vaguely recall an order to file reports here... Hm... where should I start? Oh yes, pain. I shall start with pain... There is no better subject.  
  
You do not know pain. Pain is an unusual emotion. It comes, when you don't know it comes. You think you feel it across your body when you are hurt. But you do not know pain. Pain is internal, pain is forever, and pain is nothing like you have ever felt before. The screams of thousands upon thousands of people dying at once. The never-ending flash of an explosion before what ever it erupts within disappears forever. And death, pain in its final form... Also the most excruciating of all. I was born through all of this, the death, the emotion, the torment... And most importantly, the crash that started it all.  
  
An ancient civilization built great cities and even better technology. And even still, better weapons. From the many decades I floated about that ship, slowly taking form. I found the history of the race that soon gave birth to me through their suffering. Human like, yet so far from being the same. Indescribable, yet so close to being seen, this unknown race launched its ship in hopes of escape, but instead launched it into the most torturous place imaginable. Planet Zebes. The large grassland did look inviting, but when your own crew is mutinying against you, you don't have time to land. You simply crash and die.  
  
They ran from a war, as most would expect you would do. Their planet erupted into a sea of flames. A human would call it a text book example of a planet implosion, even if I don't exactly know what a textbook is. It's an expression I'm sure you are well aware of. Because I have no form as of yet in my tale, but with time I will take one. But forgive my deviation from the story.  
  
When they ran they looked for the perfect planet to settle. They were determined to not repeat the grisly end of their original planet. But there is no "perfect planet" for them to find. Soon the crew became restless, the captain became desperate, and I was born. Phantoon, the entity that ran through that ship as soon as the first crewmember planned mutiny. It was an infectious idea... too tempting for others to pass up.  
  
The journey aged on, the "perfect planet" refused to show itself and soon I took an identity. I claimed a personality from the most ruthless, the leader. His hate toward the war, and the captain's mad scheme to find this fantasy was so powerful it was easy to give birth to a spirit as potent as myself. But yet, I still had no body, I was formless. I could merely watch, as the whole ship became the lunatic frigate of their race. So many promising souls, gone to waste in mere years. You've never seen genius turn to madness so fast in your entire existence. And bright hope of a new future change to the bows of Norfair itself. Speaking of Norfair, I could easily say that Ridley shared many things in common with the leader. Ruthless and simple minded. His goal was clear and taking over the ship was soon set into action.  
  
But the captain was not defenseless; many other crewmembers shared his goals of the "perfect planet" and defended him to the grave... Most of them did anyway. The fight was long and bloody and it was then that the captain began to steer his dying ship toward the nearest planet. Planet Zebes. Run, run, you poor minded fool. How that planet was the essence of hell itself. The ship started its landing, the leader got closer to the cockpit, and the captain soon was shot dead on the controls. The leader was victorious! The leader was a fool, for he didn't know how to run the ship. He was a simple engine room operative. So it was he who sentenced the entire ship to it's death, plunging into the Crateria surface.  
  
But to my utter disappointment... the ship did not explode. It was all the better for me though. The survivors found the harsh planet of Zebes too much. Many starved and embraced the dark future their so-called "leader" had gotten them. They fought for the harvest and reaped the rewards as I soon took form. They died like the falling of dominos, which I am not to familiar with. Many human emotions came to create me, you might say I harvested their souls to create my body. Sometimes it's hard to make sense of so many emotions. The ship sat lifeless on that planet soon taken over by pirates, and then the nightmare begun. That ship, the last few surviving generations, and I found out how ruthless pirates were. With me as the ship, I watched them...  
  
Delicious, the details would be too much for a human like you to stomach. Their souls floated around that ship for many more years as the pirate forces soon grew in number many of them now creatures. And then the most powerful coming into being named Mother Brain. She looked dormant hiding behind all those barriers and countless pirate forces, but how she thought that made all the difference. Her brainwaves soon echoed through out the hull of the ship making the tortured souls scream in harmony. Mother Brain had no intentions of good planned toward anyone and that ship never had any good intentions toward anyone as well. We were a perfect match and one-day my form finally came into a nightmarish being.  
  
I cried out with triumph for after all this time of waiting and watching. I was born, finally! I had become real now! Real enough to warp in and out of solid and ghostly form, thanks to the history of that ship. My eye controlled the systems of that ship. Refusing to turn on for any explorer to find it. Everything ceased to operate I refused to let it operate, no one could control my late body. No one. Not even the countless pirates that tried to harvest the secrets of that ship. Through the dormant monitors and endless steel hallways I watched. I manifested the souls of the fallen and watched them kill any thing that entered my ship. But soon Mother Brain had taken notice of my existence and began to use her brainwaves as a medium, letting me talk to her while she talked to me. One of those days while the Zebes rain pounded out holes on the side of my ship I heard her voice.  
  
"What is this feeling I sense in that ship. It was so slight, yet there, and now I believe it is killing off my own pirates..."  
  
She sounded like she was searching, not asking a direct question. It was amusing as a spirit like me to see such a superior mind so lost and confused. I continued to listen and laughed within myself.  
  
"Something is there. I can feel it. But it is so slight..."  
  
This was worth everything; Mother Brain was lost in her own thoughts. If she contained a body, she would probably have been walking through every inch of this ship. I had driven my way inside her mind, she knew I was there. But yet, I was nowhere to be found. Her vile instincts and cold soul opened up to me. It was like mating, only between to sub consciousnesses. For many more days she puzzled over this mystery of my ship, why the answers were so elusive as I continued to lope through her brain. Finding everything I could possibly want and more. Her best trait was her supreme and unending hatred toward Samus Aran, ironically another female.  
  
There was so much to learn, but soon Mother Brain was tired to searching with her mind and sent one of her henchmen to find out for her. My ship housed all kinds of humans, the dreamers, the businessmen, and the storytellers. A storyteller would describe her searcher as a dragon looking organism that resided in the deep Norfair section of the planet. This was the first time I saw Ridley. He made his way to my ship as Mother Brain soon began to search once more. Ah, I could see, she was trying to find me using Ridley as bait. I decided to see how good she was and sent out a couple of my spirit hunters as he entered the long corridor of the ship.  
  
Ridley was a powerful creature using his breath to destroy the materialized spirits. I was impressed; this was a more resourceful pirate than the other ones I had killed. He would be quite a challenge. As the spirits died down, I could feel Mother Brain jump with surprise, I guess my manifestation of the spirit had caused a greater sense of my existence, and if I were to keep it up, she would soon take notice of me and my control over the ship. Ridley continued to search the wreckage, finding many old deactivated robot models. His yellow eyes squinted through the blackness of some of the holds and I continued to keep my silence.  
  
The Norfair monster had gotten quite relaxed and I couldn't help myself but to send more of my angry spirits after him. He darted around in confusion as I played a giant chess game with Mother Brain. I would make a move, she would make a move, and then I would go thinking over my next move, when I made one, she made on and so on. Her brain waves still radiated throughout the ship trying to find the great answer to my existence and Ridley had nosed his way into more of the ship. This time, he had hit a sensitive area, the cockpit. I do not know why, but my existence had claimed the cockpit a holy area. Nothing was to set foot in that place, where the fateful decision to crash was made by the leader.  
  
My ghostly body boiled with rage as Ridley overturned chairs and looked over consoles. I couldn't hold it in anymore and I floated toward his location. I was far from defenseless you see, as I was capable of producing blue plasma, and spewing it about in every direction. Ridley continued to defile my sanctuary and then I appeared. I materialized instantly letting out a ghostly howl making him spin around and stare me down in surprise. I wanted to lead him away from that place, he had no right, and I had no right to fight there. He followed me into the holds where I soon unleashed my deadly plasma. His nimble body avoided most of it and then I decided to play with him. I floated about the room in my spirit form as he tried to attack. He went right through me and smashed into the walls.  
  
I hit him during moments like those and began to scar his reddish-purplish body. At times he screamed with rage while launching his own flames back at me. His tail whipped around wildly and his claws moved quickly, but he was not as smart as it took to harm me. I could only be harmed when I open my eye of death upon him, when I was in solid form. As long as I had my eye closed, I was merely a shadow. The sensors of the ship saw for me. Ridley began to flounder around me as I struck him viciously with my plasma. But Mother Brain was finished with our little game. She could easily sense me and better yet impose her will upon me since I dove so deep into her mind. I soon froze, paralyzed in front of Ridley. I let out a howl of anger as I could feel her will try to force my eye open.  
  
"Arrr! Stop!" I cried out in a explosion of desperation.  
  
"You are not a being of my knowledge." She continued to try and control me.  
  
"I was born through the suffering of this ship! And it is mine. The souls of the crew, and the ship itself!"  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
Then my eye whipped open to stare down Ridley. He was within arms length. I strained. Mother Brain's will was much more powerful than I could have imagined. She wanted revenge for my tampering with her mind. There was a long pause as I sat there... This was an unusual feeling, helplessness, I had seen it before in the eyes of the crews but now I was experiencing it. I could feel Mother Brain let go of me and I soon shifted off into a spirit form disappearing in front of Ridley. Another new feeling washed over me, now I was confused.  
  
"You have two choices ghost... You can serve me and do my will, or I will see to it you will die a death as horrible as your crew."  
  
"As long as you give me my ship... I have no problems with becoming your underling. Your brainwaves are too delightful to give up."  
  
"Very good." She then paused to consider my name. "What should we know you by?"  
  
"Phantoon, now leave my old body."  
  
I soon found myself among her ranks, a member of the Zebes Space Pirates. I soon learned as Mother Brain explained, my Wrecked Ship easily blocked the entrance to an important breeding ground she would soon make use of. Maridia would soon be home to many, many, dangerous creatures. The Metroids. They are a wonderful organism, but dangerous as it could even suck the energy from a spirit such as myself. I would prevent the ship from being used as portal to this wetlands where Metroids would grow in large numbers.  
  
It was a perfect place for me to live out the rest of my eternity for many explorers tried to tap the Wrecked Ship of its knowledge. But I would not let them... Nor would my legions of twisted souls that could rip the littlest being to pieces. And so I guarded that place, keeping myself occupied with Mother Brain's unending superior brain waves. How twisted she thought, how she knew so much and how dark her plans were for everyone that opposed her. Looking into that mind was darker than the history of my ship, my old body...  
  
It was delicious.  
  
-End of Line  
  
--Closing Phantoon Log...  
  
---Next Entry: Draygon 


	5. Entry 5: The Maridia Leviathan, Draygon

-Super Metroid  
  
--The Space Pirate Log Book  
  
---Entry 5: The Maridia Leviathan, Draygon  
  
The others say it's time for my daily worship of Mother Brain... how dare they mock such brilliance. For their sake, they should show more respect to me and their leader. They would be nothing without her guidance. They would all be the dregs of the universe if it weren't for her. But Ridley! Ridley understands... he understands her genius. That's why he is her most loyal subject. And my family and I are right behind him because of our dedication.  
  
Mother Brain is a savior for what she has done for my children and I. We are in her debt for the rest of our being, and we will serve her faithfully and completely. If it weren't for her genius and her legions, we would have rotted in water tanks aboard a Federation space station a long time ago. A filthy place it was, whoever was caught in that orbiting rust bucket when the Space Pirates arrived got what they deserved. It's a shame I couldn't see all the chaos that ensued.  
  
Zebes was not always my home you see. My family and I once resided on a planet completely submerged by water. With our hardened shells and superior numbers, we easily dominated every area of our watery home. There was never a moment when you were hungry, or fought for your next meal. It was a glorious time until the Galactic Federation appeared and ruined everything! Years and years were spent to take over that planet...and now they were robbing it from us!  
  
This would the dawn of my hatred for this... Galactic Federation... and every time I would look upon one of them through the glass of my tank, it would only grow. By far the most arrogant of them all were the humans. Miserable, little two legged creatures that do not take kindly to water. But they were so easy to observe. So predictable, so simple. I picked up their language within weeks and within months I learned of their intentions.  
  
They picked us for our potential. Our potential for learning and working alongside the countless wretches in their group. The many scientists on the station admired the incredible durability of our shell at great depths and resistance to their weapons. And what pathetic weapons they had. Missiles and lasers and who knows what. It was not enough to stop us. It was only their ability to harness electricity that enabled them to catch and control us.  
  
So as they plucked us from the only home we knew, they began to place us in inadequate water tanks full of water I have never felt before. Dirty miserable water that was no where near the purity of our own planet's water. And that's where we sat as they stood around taking notes on their computers and whatever else they had. I thought it would never end. I tore at any human to approach my tank bearing food. I'd rather eat them than the pathetic fish they'd bring up from the surface. As if they could ever provide the same amount of nourishment we did on our own.  
  
Draygon... a name I've grown quite accustomed too. It was given to me by one of their doctors who had his own name. Dr. Goring. This human seemed to be above the others. They would clear the room when he entered. They would do whatever he asked without a moments hesitation. They would trip over themselves to do his bidding. I could say, with a large stretch, that we had that much uncommon. This Dr. Goring and I both had many followers with their lives dedicated to us. The only difference was that my followers were my children, and his followers were completely unrelated. That disgusted me. To think you could rely on anyone else other than your own kin is absurd.  
  
They were all like little smudges through the glass... The only time I could make them out individually is when they talked. But sometimes this was impossible over the droning of my children somewhere above and below me. Whatever they made the ship out of, it was prefect for carrying sound waves. We could already hear perfectly through the water. I could hear every one of their cries, whether it be of hunger or anger. The ghost Phantoon tried to explain an emotion called "fear" to me at one point, but I have not heard any such thing nor felt it.  
  
This doctor would spend time talking to me as if I was his own kind. Can you imagine, the torture of listening to his sad pathetic tales for years on end? If his life was half as bad as he made it out to be, I wondered why he had not killed himself. Not one moment did I spend talking to him, not one. I could say though, that him or his underlings must have figured out that I had some ability to understand them. They just wanted a response. But they would get none.  
  
For years we were toyed with by the Galactic Federation's minions. Whoever their leader was, they would pay one day for this. I could feel it. But one day, it was then Mother Brain's merciful legions came to liberate us from this prison. That day would be a celebrated event among us when it was over. So much so, that every one of my children know it by heart and can recite it at a moments notice. I believe this is where the hecklers get their ammunition to insult us.  
  
The only thing that keeps Mother Brain from being a god is her mortality. But even that can be rectified, I heard.  
  
The day the Space Pirates rescued us, there was an inch of water in the laboratory that overlooked my water tank. It moved any small objects around and short circuited control panels. At first I thought nothing of it. There were many incompetent creatures on the station. It had to have been one of their mistakes. That is why you should only rely on your own blood to get things done. But when the scientists failed to make their appointed rounds to check up on me. I knew something was happening.  
  
This inch of water soon became a foot and it seemed like the whole station was flooding. It became so deep that the mysterious voice of some alien creature could reach me. I had never heard this voice before, but it would not be one I could forget. The foot high water was making it easy to communicate with me from their far off location.  
  
"Who we are is not important at the moment. I think what is important to you is if you value your freedom from the likes of those who contain you. We're going to turn off the security force field that keeps you from breaking the glass. If we leave you from here, we think you'll do the right thing."  
  
Suddenly the emergency drainage systems turned on, and this flood water was jettisoned out to space. It was an offer to good to be true. But the blue glow and hum that usually could be heard in my tank every single second of everyday subsided. Now only the glass remained. It was the only thing keeping me from those scientists. Whatever that voice came from had give me the chance I've always wanted. Then Dr. Goring came in with his staff, with his usual smirk. I waited for him to get as close the glass as I could stand.  
  
"Good morning Draygon. We had a little flood problem, but it's been taken care of..."  
  
His voice trailed off as he soon realized the force field was not up. His staff soon reached the same conclusion. But whatever they could have done was too little too late. It only took one crack with the weight of my shell behind me. To me, it seemed as if the water had just warped into the small observation room. Without the glass to blur my vision, I could see these humans in greater detail. Thin frail things they were, and Dr. Goring wasn't as ancient as I had expected.  
  
Of course, none of that mattered. I crushed each and everyone of them under my weight or drowned them in an instant with the shattering of the glass. The water was red in no time, and the voice I had heard before returned.  
  
"Doesn't that feel so right? We have a place you would fit in quite nicely. Once you're done flooding the rest of the laboratory decks. We'll explain more."  
  
The hallways were too small for my size, but ramming into a couple of walls was more than enough to punch holes to other decks. I went on a rampage, and without the drainage systems, the water just kept coming. It wasn't long until I reunited with my children, and let them take part in the killing as well. Soon the station and all of it's inhabitants were gone, only we remained.  
  
"We are the Zebesian Space Pirates." The voice returned. "We have a home for you on our world that I think you'll find enjoyable. You see... your enemies are our enemies, and I think we share a common goal. To rid ourselves of these nuisances. If you assemble your brood in the docking bay, I think we can help you."  
  
The docking bay was build so that ships carrying aquatic specimens would merely have to open their ventral sides and drop their cargo down into a tank below. Well, the Space Pirate ship merely reversed this process and were prepared with tanks of their own. They were strange creatures at first, and reminded me of humans in the way they walked on two legs and had two arms. But they were nothing like humans.  
  
We were freed from that station thanks to the Space Pirates, and that great ship of theirs transported us to the planet known as Zebes. It seemed a servant of the Federation had decimated their base once before. This massive explosion put a large crater on their planet, and huge amounts of water had flooded the hole. So much water that Mother Brain's servants did not have enough men to control it on their own. I did not care about the situation. All I knew is that we had a new home under the protection of the Space Pirates. I could not have asked for anything more.  
  
This new position provided many opportunities to pay our debt back to Mother Brain. I birthed more offspring, and our large numbers made it easy to dig tunnels upon tunnels through this sunken wreck. It appeared that Mother Brain had plans for the Maridia area. We would be making a home for a gallery of her experiments. Most of them consisted of a creature known as a Metroid. This creature was nothing more than a parasite, too dangerous to be left alone.  
  
Scientists of her own tried to duplicate the creature in order to make it more tame and controllable. It would be a long and difficult task to make it successful, and they had to keep the results safe while they worked. These "Mochtroids" were easily kept track of by my children, who watched all the major areas of Maridia. Our old home could never be replaced, but this was far better than any glass case without any sort of privacy.  
  
I quickly became acquainted with the other servants of Mother Brain afterward. Like Kraid, Phantoon, and Ridley. Although any ally of Mother Brain is an ally of my own... it was easy to tell that the large monster known as Kraid did not take a liking to me at all. The ghost known as Phantoon could care otherwise but would not hesitate to make a fool of me when he could. But it did not matter, creatures like them would get what's coming. I've learned that no one is an exception to the rule.  
  
The doctor got his death when he treated us like pets. The Federation would soon get what they deserved as well when the Space Pirates learned how to harness the power of the Metroid. And any creature belonging to the Federation that took a dive into the depths of Maridia would not live long enough to take in the view.  
  
The aqua pirate recording my report soon stopped abruptly and shut his little computer. I couldn't believe it was over already. I had so much more to say about Mother Brain and-  
  
"Where are you going?" I demanded.  
  
"The Science Team needs this data immediately, to see how you are adapting to our environment." He huffed and under his breath, muttered. "What a windbag."  
  
This... pirate probably thought I did not hear him. And what a sorry excuse for someone who's arms had tired. The next time he came back, we would feast upon his body for his insolence. Next time, the log will stop when I am done. Next time...  
  
-End of Line  
  
--Closing Draygon Log  
  
---Next Entry: Mother Brain 


	6. Entry 6: The Tourian Fear Center, Mother...

-Super Metroid

--The Space Pirate Log Book

---Chapter 6: The Tourian Fear Center, Mother Brain

I am in a perpetual state of fear. Fear breeds prevention, and fear breeds motivation. And there is plenty to fear after the first encounter with the Hunter known as Samus Aran. However... since then we have been very busy on Zebes and elsewhere in the universe. You should see my little pawns. You should see how productive they are. Setting up our facilities and carrying out experiments seemingly on their own. I know I can depend on each and everyone of my underlings.

I love how they are incapable to run on their own power. It seems like it had been an eternity to break them into depending upon me. Of course, I must admit, their temporary control they set up in my absence was impressive. This "Command", continued where I left off when that Samus creature seemingly destroyed me. As I'm sure you can see, "Command" did not last long. It lasted long enough to control operations on Talon IV, but no more for I am back.

The fear I spoke about earlier is the fear I have planted within my entire Pirate forces. To think of them as ever leaving my influence is absurd. What would they do? Where would they go? This is the fear that keeps them focused, and this is the fear that will ultimately lead to our victory. They have motivation, and I enjoy motivation in whatever form it comes in. It is proven you know, that those who often fear for their lives are more successful due to a number of reasons.

As popularly defined by the vast Galactic Federation databanks, during this moment, there is a colorless crystalline feebly basic sympathomimetic hormone C9H13NO3 that is the principal blood-pressure raising hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla and is used medicinally especially as a heart stimulant, a vasoconstrictor in controlling hemorrhages of the skin, and a muscle relaxant in bronchial asthma -- called also _adrenaline_. Although Space Pirates do not follow the exact process, they have a bodily function that comes close enough.

That brings another thing to mind while I have mentioned the Federation. How careless the Federation is when concerning vital data. They just can not keep it to themselves. It takes mere seconds to access their network through various satellites we have commandeered over the years. It takes even less of a time to go through their files and find the necessary information we can use against them. Like this Metroid creature for instance. I am not going too far when I say we could practically order it from their science colony if the destination wasn't "Planet Zebes" on the delivery schedule..

Anyway, according to their "top secret" reports... the Hunter had nearly eradicated them on their home world but failed to dispose of one last one. Her hesitation is our gain. Ridley took no time at all retrieving the lovely life sucking organism, and my Science Team went about raising the little larva to stages acceptable for breeding. It does not take much you know, feeding it a full sized Space Pirate is more than enough energy to enable the Metroid to lay eggs. It is a shame none of the Fission Metroids from the Talon operation survived, but no matter.

As promising as cloning sounds... All we have been able to come up with are bastardized versions of the Metroids. The report stated a rather creative member of the science team has dubbed these pathetic copies "Mochtroids", because they seemingly mock the originals with their shoddy resistance to weaponry. It took no time at all to realize that ice-based weaponry was not required to put them down. They are of no use to us, but they are still fairly useful to keep around in Maridia for study and to feed the originals who do not take kindly to their clones. How can you blame them really?

But please, let me give credit where credit is due. We have the Hunter to thank for this valuable research and opportunity. After all, if she had not taken pity upon the last Metroid... we would have not been able to steal it back. And my, my, my... What a waste of time and effort those Federation scientists were spending on the larva. Harnessing it's energy production capabilities? It can do so much more, like kill anything in it's path. Granted, it does have some drawbacks. But I assure you, this can be fixed.

Everything can be fixed with in due time. Every inch of my being can be outfitted with some replacement given the original has failed. And with each defeat, I only learn more. Like the motivation behind Samus Aran. Her motivation I've found is not fear, it is revenge. Before, I used to think of revenge as a shallow emotion. An emotion to be discarded. But when this Hunter broke into my lair and started to destroy my defense mechanisms. I could see there was some potential for this revenge emotion.

I've calculated through intense equations that Samus Aran would be no less dangerous if she came in without that strange suit. She would find some other way to carry out her objectives. The suit does not matter, it is a worthless variable. What counts is her driving factor. Revenge. With this taken into consideration, I've asked that all personnel revived from the first attack be reminded of their losses. I will nurture this emotion of revenge throughout my entire force. So when the hunter returns, she will see how we have not forgotten her.

I have brought this idea down hard on Ridley and Kraid. Before, I had so much confidence in them. Ridley especially. He is a precise and efficient killing machine and so much more I have not begun to calculate the ways. But they failed the first time for some reason. Apparently, fear of failure was not enough to drive them to win. It is a fact that they underestimated the Hunter the first time and it did not help us that she is a human. They, as well as I, do not think highly of humans. If I did, I would probably have them in my forces.

The leaps and bounds of rebuilding Zebes has come quite far with only but a few interruptions. There was an episode with the crashed ship on the surface, where we uncovered a rather tortured spirit named Phantoon... The phantasm was picking my brain at times, but I admire his resourcefulness. Why destroy a perfectly good pawn? We needed someone to patrol the wrecked ship and keep it from becoming a command center for any invading forces.

Then there was a delicate operation to recover a specimen known as Draygon, who now serves as the mainstay of our aquatic forces. It helped that Draygon is a constant reproducer, birthing dozens of children at days at a time. We estimate that if the birthrate for Draygon continues... we may be able to plant some of her children on other worlds under our jurisdiction. We made very careful moves in sabotaging the station. After all, the Galactic Federation thinks we are all dead and gone.

Ah.... I can not help but think of my perfect Metroid specimen. The Metroid that Ridley has brought back for me. It reacted quite well to the beta rays we bombarded it with and quadrupled it's size within hours. Although it has the size, it rarely has the instinct to compensate and has proved easy to manipulate. It is just the specimen we were looking for. Still, from the scraps of reports gathered from the Talon operation... it doesn't sound quite as powerful as "Metroid Prime" which was terminated by the Hunter.

But none of this matters now, and her time will come soon enough.

If all this consideration is somehow not enough to stop the Hunter when she returns... and I have calculated she will return, it is no matter. Under my careful guidance, I have prepared something for just such an occasion. Built inch by inch to my exact specifications. It will be my... _personal _congratulation for Samus Aran if she makes it to my lair in one piece. She will enjoy my surprise for mere seconds then... It will be a moment to relish.

-End of Line

--Closing and classifying Mother Brain Log...

---Error

--No more entries can be found

-Databanks corrupted by massive explosion following 3 hours after last entry

--Transferring remaining files to secure location

-Awaiting data retrieval...

-Closing Space Pirate Log Book


End file.
